Secretary-General warns of danger to journalists reporting on the environment and calls for protection of press freedom. The following is a message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3:
“The world is going through an unprecedented environmental emergency that threatens the very existence of the present and future generations. Everyone needs to know about it, and journalists and media professionals have a key role to play in informing and educating. Local, national and international media can put the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and environmental injustice in the spotlight.
Thanks to this work, people come to understand the plight of our planet, become mobilized and empowered to act for change. Media professionals also show environmental degradation. And in the face of environmental vandalism, they provide the evidence to hold those responsible to account. Not surprisingly, powerful individuals, companies and institutions will stop at nothing to prevent environmental journalists from doing their job.
Media freedom is under attack from all sides. And environmental journalism is an increasingly dangerous profession. Dozens of journalists covering issues such as illegal mining, logging, poaching and other environmental problems have been killed in recent decades. In the vast majority of cases, no one has been held to account.
UNESCO reports that some 750 journalists or media outlets dealing with environmental issues have been attacked in the last fifteen years. And the frequency of these attacks is growing. There are also legal actions, which are used to censor, silence, arrest and harass these journalists, while the propagators of false information about the climate, who are now legion, are constantly undermining tried and tested solutions, notably renewable energies.
But environmental journalists are not the only ones at risk. All over the world, media professionals are risking their lives trying to inform us about everything from war to democracy.
I am shocked and dismayed by the number of journalists who have been killed during Israel's military operations in Gaza.
The United Nations salutes the invaluable work of journalists and media professionals in keeping the public informed and engaged. Without facts, we cannot fight misinformation and disinformation. Without accountability, we will have no sound policies; without press freedom, we will have no freedom.
Freedom of the press is not a choice, it's a necessity.
Our World Press Freedom Day is very important. I therefore call on governments, the private sector and civil society to join us as we reaffirm our commitment to protecting press freedom and the rights of journalists and media professionals around the world”.
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